The present invention relates to a process for producing a solid essential oil flavor composition and the product of the process and more particularly to such a process resulting in a product in the form of a stable, extruded, solid essential oil flavor composition.
In order to preserve the aroma and flavor of various essential oils and make them available for use in consumer products such as beverages and the like, the prior art has developed a number of techniques for producing solid essential oil compositions. These compositions permit combination of the essential oils into various products such as beverages to which it is desirable to impart the aroma and flavor of the oil. Such techniques have been found to be particularly useful and desirable, for example, in connection with essential oils of various citrus fruits while being equally useful with essential oils from other sources. Citrus fruit, for example, are characterized by essential oils having particularly desirable characteristics of aroma and flavor which are useful not only in beverage products but in various food products as well.
The prior art in this regard is believed to be best exemplified by a number of U.S. patents which are hereinafter discussed in greater detail. These references include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,809,895 and 3,041,180 issued respectively on Oct. 15, 1975 and June 26, 1962 to H. E. Swisher under assignment to the assignee of the present invention. The references also include U.S. Pat. No. 3,704,137 issued Nov. 28, 1972 to Beck and U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,202 issued June 2, 1981 to Giel.
Turning now to these references, the earlier Swisher patent disclosed a process for forming solid essential oil flavoring composition particles wherein an essential oil was emulsified in hot corn syrup solids (42 DE) glycerine solution, cooled, ground, rinsed with a solvent and dried. The flavoring composition retained the aroma and flavor of the oils within the particles while making them available for release in various consumer products such as beverages and other food products.
The second Swisher patent disclosed an improved process and solid essential oil flavoring composition wherin glycering and corn syrup solids (42 DE) were formed into an aqueous, semiplastic mass which was then combined with the essential oil by means of an emulsifier, the resulting combination being extruded into a cold solvent to form an extruded solid wherein the essential oil was encapsulated by the glycerine and corn syrup solids combination. This extruded solid was then dried and an anticaking agent added, yielding an extruded particulate solid having an extended shelf life while facilitating its combination with beverage or other food products to release the aroma and/or flavor of the oil.
The Beck patent related to a similar process and product as summarized above for the second Swisher patent, except that the process and product included a simple sugar and hydrolyzed cereal solids (less than 20 DE) with pyrogenic silica as an anticaking agent.
The Giel patent related to a spray-drying process for forming solid flavoring material capable of including high percentages of flavoring oil per total particulate unit of weight. Because of the high oil content possible, such spray-dried products found wide use in a number of beverages and other foods. However, it was also found that spray-dried flavors typically exhibit a relatively limited shelf life. In addition, the high temperatures necessarily involved during spray-drying processes have been found to impair the flavor and aroma of various heat-sensitive oil flavors, such as those in citrus fruit. Furthermore, solids formed by spray-drying commonly exhibit hygroscopic characteristics making them difficult to handle and store.
As noted above, spray-dried oil flavors have been used in the production of various beverages and foods where it is desirable to take advantage of their high oil content. At the same time, extruded essential oil solids of the type covered by the second Swisher and Beck patents have also found a substantial market, particularly where it is desirable to take advantage of the better preserved aroma and flavor of the oil. However, as was noted in the Beck patent, the process for forming such extruded essential oil flavor compositions has heretofore been considered to have a practical maximum essential oil content of about 12% in the extruded particles. This limitation has at times prevented or limited the use of extruded flavor compositions in certain products where high oil content is desirable.
A number of patents issued to T. H. Schultz, either alone or with other inventors, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,856,291; 2,857,281; U.S. Pat. No. 2,899,313; U.S. Pat. No. 2,919,989; U.S. Pat. No. 2,929,722 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,929,723. Certain of these patents related to processes for encapsulating essential oils in generally the same manner as the Beck patent noted above. In Schultz et al U.S. Pat. No. 2,857,281, reference was made generally to use of an essential oil or flavoring agent "to furnish about from 5 to 25% thereof in the emulsion." However, in the specific disclosures and examples provided in the Schultz et al patent as well as in the other patents where Schultz was an inventor, resulting oil percentages in encapsulated form were far below the practical limit of 12% noted above and initially stated in the Beck patent.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a process making possible the formation of stable, extruded, solid essential oil or flavor compositions having a relatively high percentage of essential oil encapsulated therein, preferably at least in excess of the practical limit of 12% as stated in the Beck patent.